Conquered
by deux voix
Summary: "They're not really human. Beasts kill people. They're always hungry. And he doesn't care if you're his friend." My first multi-chapter fanfic. Semi-AU (You'll understand why). BBRae. Slight RobStar :)
1. The Beast

**Warning: Plot twist :)**

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"Hold on, it's almost ready!" The scientist added what was needed to complete the serum. His hands barely worked as he was overwhelmed with anxiety. The serum was the first ever, and it was to be tested on his dying son. '_What if it doesn't work?'_ He would never forgive himself.

"Hurry up, we're losing him!" Marie's eyes were red and swollen; her cheeks were glistened with tears. Her son's chest was rising and falling too quickly. His hair was no longer in strands. Instead, they crumpled as perspiration drenched his head. As Mark Logan finished the serum, he rushed towards the bed. And as he jabbed the needle in his son's thigh, Marie had a worried look on her face. Her son's breathing rhythm decreased drastically. He began to exhale as if it was his last breath. His body fell onto the mattress, enervated. His face was as pale as a ghost.

"I can't feel his pulse," she whispered. Mark looked up, his bottom jaw dropped slightly. He stared into her eyes, as if telling her to keep hoping. Her eyes were like crystal as they began to water again.

The serum was inside the boy's body. As it slowly travelled through the veins, the blue lines that trailed along his body turned green. His skin was next. The boy was as if the centre of the world when his parents watched him attentively. Marie saw his lips parted, taking in air once again. His fingers twitched, giving a sign that he survived. The couple smiled at each other. Mark walked to the other side of the bed, and then wrapped his arms around his wife. They were both relieved and thankful.

Soon after, the couple broke apart as they heard their son mumbled. As a concerned mother, Marie got closer and whispered to him, "Gar honey, what is it?"

The little boy opened his eyes slightly, still tired. His mouth was shaky so he stuttered, "Hung… Hung..."

"Yes?" Marie asked, making an attempt to understand. She moved her left ear closer to his lips. The boy known as Gar felt an odd sensation. Not only did he miss his mother's scent, but he… craved for it?

That moment, Gar considered that he was reborn with a new gift. The scent he inhaled grew stronger as seconds elapsed. His senses heightened. His touch was sensitive and his vision was clearer. And the tip of his tongue was tingling, he needed to taste something. He was…

"Hungry."

Gar's eyes shot open, revealing his dilated pupils in emerald orbs. His canine teeth stuck out into fangs, his fingernails turned to claws. Marie did not have the time to panic as he pounced on her, burying sharp teeth in her neck. Marie fell on her back, her arms flailing as an attempt to get Gar off of her. Mark tried to pull him away from Marie, but Gar was stronger. As he saw his father as a disturbance for him to finish his meal, Gar turned his back and attacked Mark. Marie lost an immense amount of blood. Oxygen failed to be distributed to her body parts, her energy was drained and slowly her breathing slowed down.

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The Earth was dark and gloomy ever since the haze covered the skies and sunlight. The roads were filled with vehicles, but only dead ones. Buildings were nothing but rust and moss, and skyscrapers didn't seem so monolithic anymore. The once melodious chirping went missing as they followed the birds fly towards an unknown universe. Humanity was close to extinction –the beasts were next.

Why?

Because they depended only on humans to survive. They coveted for the blood and meat. But they were neither vampires nor zombies. They were not the living dead. They were completely alive, and they lived with lusts at a whole new level. Perhaps they were close to werewolves, yet this was not a curse. To be exact, they were shape-shifters. On the outside, the beasts appeared as normal people. No one could tell the difference. But they would lose their control the second they smelled blood. As lust took control, they began to turn into something else.

Jump City.

Raven Roth stopped by a convenience store to grab some snacks. She had the average size of a teenage girl, and she didn't look like she fulfilled the criteria to survive the apocalypse. Nonetheless, we can't judge a book by its cover.

Raven was a born as a witch; she inherited her father's gift. Her father, known as Trigon, was also a wizard but he misused his abilities. Wherever he walked, there would be pandemonium. Not only the city, he even destroyed his own family. Raven never forgave her father for taking away her mother's life. And she would never forgive herself for letting Trigon killed his wife right under her nose. Raven ran away from home and never came back since. Trigon never looked for her and even if he did, he would never find her. Raven was good at hiding.

Raven grabbed five packets of biscuits, two bottles of plain water and a bottle of ice tea –no longer cold as the fridge hadn't working since electricity had been cut off. She stuffed all of them in her backpack. And as she did, she heard a 'ding' from the entrance. Someone was at the store. Raven was no longer alone.

She heard footsteps getting louder and louder as her heart pounded harder and harder. Raven quickly knelt, hiding behind one of the shelves. Drops of sweats began to form on her forehead and this wasn't good. Her scent would be stronger and discoverable.

Suddenly, she heard something –perhaps a cash register –dropped onto the floor. Raven straightened her knees a bit, trying to take a peek from the shelf. There she saw the beast –covered with white fur, its size was as large as a bear –scattering some stuffs on the counter, searching for its prey. From what she had experienced, this is the smallest one she had ever seen. '_Well, this should be easy,_' she thought.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she whispered. The door hinges clatter before they broke into pieces. The beast was distracted and he stopped looking for his prey. As Raven repeated the spell, the door flew across the store, hitting hard on the beast. It let out a yelp before it fainted. Slowly, its fur disappeared, its ears no longer pointed and it shrunk, taking a shape of a teenage boy. His hair was eccentrically white and his body was slender. A small bruise formed on his forehead.

Raven recognized him. He was in her school before the beasts conquered the world. He wasn't just a boy –he was her first crush.

'_Malcolm._'

Raven had the urge to wake him up. She wanted to help him. She needed to know how he ended up as a beast. Yet some part of her warned that it was not worth the risk. So she raised her right hand and summoned up the courage before reading out her spell. She watched as the ceiling dropped onto him.

With a heavy heart she walked away and later she ran, avoiding the chance to encounter with other beasts.

'_I'm sorry that I had to hurt you._'

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Raven always thought that Jump City wasn't that huge. She was wrong. It was dusk and she still didn't reach the border. The beasts were nocturnal creatures, so walking at night was considered suicidal. Raven needed a place to crash. And the building on her left was perfect. An apartment.

To be safe, she climbed the stairs until she reached level 3. It was not the highest and not the lowest part of the building. It didn't matter though, because the space was filled with silence. And most of the time, silence was the best way for the beasts to know if there was a meal being delivered. Raven flicked the switch of her torchlight and lighting her way. These were the times when she hated being alone, especially at night.

Raven heard a growl coming from somewhere near. '_Not good._'

She spun around, pointing the torchlight randomly, searching for a sign of the beast. The hallway was quite narrow, and it's either turning back or moving forward. But Raven didn't want to turn back, she didn't want to be outside and exposed. '_Forward._'

Her choice was neither wrong nor right. Shelter was truly important, yet she's running towards the beast. The beast did the same.

Raven finally spotted the beast as her torchlight reflected its eyes. Its fur was black, so it blended well in the darkness. This time, the beast was enormous. As it ran, its back almost touched the ceiling. Raven kept running while thinking of an idea on how to knock it out. She searched for any object that could be used to hit the beast. She looked over the ceiling and the floor. Her lips began to form a smirk.

Raven didn't stop. Instead she ran faster. She even threw away her backpack in order to gain her speed. When they got closer, Raven quickly slid on her back across the slippery cemented floor. The beast hovered in mid air as Raven passed through under him. She managed to avoid the beast, but she couldn't find any hard objects to hit the beast with. Raven knew she couldn't tear down the ceiling onto the beast. One wrong move and the building would be knocked down. She had no other choice.

"You know, I really hate doing this. But if I am to be your meal, then I have to do it," she said to the beast, but there was no sound of regret.

The beast growled again before it accelerated towards Raven. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Black energy started to circle around its neck. And slowly, the circle became smaller and this suffocated the beast. It fell to the floor, its hind legs reaching up to its neck. The claws tried to break the energy or at least loosen it, but they failed.

Out of the blue, gunshots were heard. Raven jumped to her side. Next to her was a teenage boy with black hair and a serious expression. His hand jerked backwards as he pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced right in the head.

"At least, let them die quickly and less painfully," he said.

"You're not a beast, right?" Raven asked, trying to ensure her safety. The boy raised his left eyebrow before he walked away, heading to one of the houses. Raven summoned her backpack and she followed him. She could use a company.

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**I think it's kinda short, but I don't want you to be tired from reading, although reading is good. Okay, what am I saying? Bleh bleh bleh...**

**Bet you can guess who's Malcolm and the boy with black hair~**

**Logan in later chapters! Sorry, peace no war. **

**PLEASE REVIEW, I NEED TO IMPROVE MY WRITING.**


	2. New Friends

"You live here?" Raven broke the silence. Again.

"Temporarily," he answered.

They reached at a door and there was a red-headed girl waiting for him. She looked concerned at first but as she saw the boy, she exhaled with relief. She turned her back and spoke to someone inside the house, "Rich has returned! He is unharmed!"

The three of them entered. Raven saw some old furniture like a couch and a dining table. The ceiling was covered with spider webs and the floor was rather dusty. On the couch was a man, he was bigger and taller than any of the three teens. Everything about him seemed normal, except his left arm. It was made of metal and looked kind of robotic. "Who's the girl?" he asked.

"Obviously, she's a victim back there," he answered before turning to Raven, "Sorry for being kinda cold, I had a rough day today." Raven nodded, completely understood. "My name's Richard Grayson. Rich for short. This is Kori Anders and Victor Stone."

"Just call me Vic," the man added.

Kori smiled so wide and she hugged Raven tightly. Raven could feel her trachea was being blocked. "Oh, glorious! It is nice to finally have a friend who is a girl!" Kori squealed.

"Can't... breathed!"

Kori quickly realized that she was suffocating her and she loosened her grip. Raven gasped and coughed, taking in as much oxygen as she needed. "Forgive me. Please, do tell us your name and how did you end up being here?"

"My name's Raven Roth and..."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Victor interrupted, "You're tellin' us that you're Trigon's daughter?"

Raven nodded, causing Victor to be dumbfounded. "Seriously?!"

She nodded again.

"So you're a witch?!" Raven sighed, and she nodded again.

"Well that makes sense," Rich said, "I saw her do her magic when she fought the beast just now." Their eyes began to focus on Raven and she began to feel uncomfortable. She didn't like that much of attention. She lifted up her hood, covering half of her face.

"You killed the beast?" Kori asked. She sat down on the floor, cross-legged. Raven did the same. Rich took a seat on the couch next to Victor.

"I tried to. Rich finished the job." Raven answered simply.

"Cool," Victor said, "So you're heading outta city?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Gotham City actually."

"That makes four of us. You better come with us, there are really _a lot_ of beasts out there. _A lot_," Rich said. Raven was actually touched when Rich invited her to join his gang. She never expected that anyone would accept her. Before the world was dominated by the beasts, Raven was seen only as Trigon's daughter. She didn't like it when people assume that she was as evil as her father. But these people that she just met were different. And Raven began to like them.

"Why are you heading to Gotham anyway?" Raven took her turn to ask.

Rich explained that the beasts were originally created as an alternative to improve the military system in the country. They were supposed to be used as secret weapons for wars etcetera. Researches about these weapons were carried out at S.T.A.R Labs situated in Gotham City. Somehow, something went wrong, causing this species to spread worldwide. That was why the number of beasts were higher in Gotham City. Rich was determined to stop these numbers from growing.

"How do you know all this? Are you like a detective or something?" Raven asked.

"No, he is not. But his father was," Kori answered proudly.

"Like father like son. I'm just in for the action. Kori, on the other hand has to take care of her boyfriend," Vic said, smirking. Rich started to blush. "How about you? Why are you going to Gotham?"

"My mother grew up there. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I need to know if I have any other relatives there," Raven explained. She didn't give too much details –she wasn't completely comfortable to open up yet.

"It's okay. We would have done the same thing too." Vic said. Raven gave a small smile, glad that he was understanding.

They spent the night sharing stories about each other's lives. Raven just listened with fascination on how they ended up on their own and then found each other. She listened how Vic's arm was amputated when he fought a beast for the first time. His late father managed to replace it and even install a cannon so that he could use it to protect himself. Raven then found the strength to share her story and so she told them how her mother died, how she ran away and how she survived the apocalypse. She also admitted that she wanted to leave the city to avoid her father, which she thought that he's still alive. The gang had rough beginnings and their story just went on. Raven liked how common they were, and she liked the fact that they were becoming friends.

Rich let out a yawn. Kori watched him and later she did the same. The yawn seemed contagious as Raven and Vic followed. "Well, time to hit the sack," Vic said, rubbing his eyes.

"Wait, whose turn is it to watch?" Rich asked. Raven watched as Kori and Vic groaned.

"Do we have too? We're exhausted!" Vic whined. He didn't like staying up to guard the house so they wouldn't be attacked by any beasts.

"Well we don't have to if you want us to get eaten by those monsters!" Rich said in his mother-like manner. For five minutes, the two boys argued. Raven rolled her eyes and sighed, annoyed. Kori just watched silently as she was used to this.

_'This is why I travel alone.'_

"Hey!" Raven yelled, causing the two to shut their mouths. "Just shut up and let me solve this."

Raven grabbed a plastic bag full of dusts from her backpack. The others watched attentively. Their eyebrows raised as Raven took a handful of the dusts and threw it at the door. She murmured something under her breath, probably chanting.

"Done. The beasts can't break in now. They can't even smell us. But the spell's not permanent. We must get up early tomorrow," she explained.

"Wow, thanks." Rich said. He turned to look at Victor and found out that he passed out on the couch. "The couch's taken. There's a single bed in one of the rooms."

"Then you shall sleep in it. I will accompany Raven," Kori said.

"You sure? You want to sleep on the floor?"

"Yes, I do. Do not worry, Rich. It is not like we are not used to sleeping on floors," Kori giggled. Rich smiled, he said good night and off he went in the room with the bed. Raven laid her head on her backpack. Kori lied on her back, then turned to look at Raven.

"What a day," she sighed.

"At least it is the best day ever. It is nice to meet a new friend. Good night, friend Raven," Kori gave a friendly smile before closing her eyes. Raven too shut her eyes and slowly she smiled too.

_'It truly is the best day ever.'_

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Meanwhile...

There was another boy, leaning against the door outside the apartment. He listened stealthily every part of their conversations. He missed the world before. He missed having friends. He missed guffaws. He missed everything.

His primal side was killing him the whole night. It wanted to be let out. Their scent was really strong, but surprisingly he controlled himself better this time. Because the smell of one of the teenagers inside the apartment stood out. Sure, the odour he breathed in was blended with haemoglobin and iron but the mixture of lavender incense, maybe potpourri and spices made him dizzy. _Good_ dizzy. There were tea and herbs altogether, encouraging him to inhale more.

He couldn't get enough of it.

And suddenly, it stopped. No more fragrance. No more blood. Just the plain air.

'_Weird. End of aromatherapy, I guess._'

He stood up and took a good look at the stars above. Their glow faded because of the haze, but their beauty hadn't. He continued gazing them, while waiting for sunrise to come.

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**I know, it's kinda boring. Sorry :-/**

**DO REVIEW.**


	3. A Winter Change

**I don't really know much about winter, because I live in a tropical climate :)**

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Raven woke up the earliest of them all. She stood up, stretched her arms and slightly curved her body backwards to get rid of the stiffness. She noticed that the dusts in front of the door had gone, indicating that the magic had been used up. She woke up the rest of the gang, reminding them that they needed to get moving.

Raven walked towards a window next to the door. She moved the shabby drapes aside, wanting to observe the sunrise. Yes, the sun was rising, but something else was falling.

Richard joined the others in the living room. They all rubbed their eyes, trying to overcome the drowsiness. Kori's eyes were still heavy. Vic let out a yawn, still longing for some sleep. Being a survivor was to be an insomniac.

"Guys, forget your beauty sleep for a sec. Check this out," Raven said in her usual monotone. She moved to the side of the window, letting the others see what she had seen. Their eyes widened with shock. Kori was a bit dumbfounded. There was a layer of frost covering the glass.

"But, it's September!" Vic said.

"Exactly."

"Well, the climate's changed. You know, because of global warming," Rich explained. Kori nodded in agreement. "This is really unexpected, but we have to keep moving. We can't stay here forever."

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Their journey was constantly disturbed. Half of the day was spent killing beasts instead of trying to reach their destination. Rich had run out of ammo. Thankfully Raven had her magic and Vic's cannon was powered with solar energy. Kori's ray gun functioned similarly as Vic's cannon. Thus, they really had nothing to worry about –except the winter.

They stopped by a small recording studio. It was dark inside as the walls were black and dark grey, so there was little heat to warm them up. Their cheeks were red, but Raven's were the reddest because of her pale skin. Her nose slightly hurt from breathing in the cold air.

"I do not remember the winter being_ this_ cold." Kori rubbed her arms, letting the friction produce some heat. Hopefully, this would keep her from shivering. Her teeth had not stopped chattering since they left the apartment.

"It's beyond freezing," Vic added while he took out his bottle of drinking water from his backpack, "Look, half of my water's already turned to ice!"

"It is strange that the beasts can survive in this condition," Kori said.

"Kori, they're not really human. They have higher body temperature than us," Raven explained. Kori nodded.

"Guys, I know that it's warm in here, but we can't just stop here. You know why," Rich insisted that they should get moving. It could be dangerous to stay at one place for a long time. Their scent could build up and fill the space in the air, causing them to be easily exposed to the beasts.

"Dude, would you relax and join us for a refill?" Sometimes Rich's anxiety annoyed Vic. Vic turned his backpack upside down, pouring his food onto the carpeted floor. "Dig in."

There were beef jerky, Twinkies, Sno Balls, marshmallows, croissants, biscuits and other processed food. One of them caught Raven's attention. She hadn't tasted them for awhile.

"Umm... Are those waffles?" Her face lit up, like a little girl that had found her lost teddy bear. Vic tossed them at Raven. Impatiently, she ripped one of the packets and ate them.

"Aww man, they're all cold!" Vic whined.

"At least they're still edible. Just eat up," Rich said.

Raven was just lost in her own world with her waffles. She wished she had chocolate syrup right now.

As she was enjoying her love life, she heard a faint voice calling for her. She ignored it the first time –hey, the least everyone could do right now was to respect her relationship with waffles. But then, the voice repeated over and over again and it became louder as time passed by. Raven snapped out of her reverie and saw all the commotion. A beast just busted in through the doors, Vic converted his robotic arm into a cannon and Kori hid behind Rich while he aimed her ray gun towards the beast.

At first, Raven couldn't tell if the beast was an albino or it was just covered with snow. But then, she saw its size. '_It's him.'_

The beast jumped about in the studio, dodging the blasts. Its claws gripped onto the wall, and then it would run across the ceiling. Vic and Rich attempted to shoot at it, though they kept missing their target. Raven wasn't sure whether they should kill it or not, because their target was someone who meant to her. She wanted to tell them to stop shooting, but couldn't find her voice to do so.

The next thing they knew, Vic's cannon was no longer functioning while Rich's ray gun was flying across the studio. They turned around, looking for the only person responsible for this.

Raven.

She didn't seem confident doing this. There was hesitation in her eyes. Her hands were shaking, definitely not because of the cold.

The beast was dangling on the ceiling before it loosened its grip and twisted its body so it was right side up. It's hind legs gave a little push while the front legs aiming for its prey –Kori Anders.

Screams filled the air. Kori was petrified. Rich tried to protect her. Vic ordered Raven to reactivate his cannon so that he could stop the beast.

But Raven didn't want _anyone_ to die.

The distance between the beast and Kori were centimetres apart when a huge black door knocked it in the head.

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His eyes were extremely heavy. And he wouldn't open them completely even if he could as the sunlight would certainly hurt his eyes. His head was throbbing painfully. _'Great, another bruise.'_ That wasn't the worst part. He found himself immobile as his hands were kept still at his back and there was no space between his legs. Slowly, his ears began to function and register the voices around him. The voices were faint –maybe they were farther –but luckily he had heightened senses.

"What were you thinking, Raven? Kori could've been killed!" Clearly, Rich was furious.

"I know. But she is safe, isn't she?"

"Please, why were you risking the lives of your friends to save that beast?"

"Because he is also my friend!"

"Raven, you said so yourself. They're not really human!" Vic reminded her. "Beasts kill people. They're always hungry. And _he_ doesn't care if you're his friend." Vic pointed towards the beast that was thrown by them in the snow. He was in human form, tied up in a rope.

The boy began to realize. Black hair with violet streaks, amethyst eyes, pale skin. He did recognize her.

"Raven Roth... Raven!" He called out.

Raven turned and smiled. Then she looked at the gang, as if trying to convince them that he wasn't just a beast. They all, however shook their heads, forbidding her to go near him. Raven ignored their warning.

"It's Jinx all over again," Vic sighed. Rich placed his hand on his left shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.

Footprints were left in the snow, as she ran straight towards Malcolm. But, he stopped her. "Please, Raven. Don't go any further, I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially you."

"I know you're not going to hurt me. You're my friend," Raven said. "Malcolm, who did this to you? How did you become one of them?"

"Remember that field trip? The one only selected students got to go?"

"Wait, is it the field trip to... Gotham City?" Vic stepped forward. Malcolm nodded. "Jinx was one of the selected students!"

"I tell you, those people at S.T.A.R Labs were nutcases! The details of what I went through are too ugly for me to recount," Malcolm bowed his head, his voice softening, "But there isn't anything I hate than being what I am now. Just kill me, Raven. I'm tired of hurting people."

"No," Raven firmly stated. This caused frowns of disapproval from her friends.

Malcolm looked up with disbelief.

"We're on our way to Gotham. Come with us, there must be an antidote."

"I told you, Raven! I don't want to anyone to die by my own hands!"

"Answer me, Malcolm. Why are you still in your human form? I believe that you can control yourself. So please, believe in yourself."

Malcolm sighed in defeat. "All right, I will."

Raven felt her a grip around her wrist. Someone pulled her from behind her. Rich whispered, "Raven, what are you doing?"

"He's my friend and I want him to be normal again," Raven strongly answered. She was slightly upset that none of her friends supported her decision.

Vic stepped in, "You know, back then I insisted that I would protect my ex and my family at the same time. I turned around just to find my family being eaten by her. You can't trust them, y'know. Their acting's pretty good."

"Trust me, he's not acting. I'm a witch, remember? I can sense what he's feeling right now. He's not faking anything."

"Friend, I have a feeling of uncertainty. Are you really _really_ sure about this?" Kori asked.

"Yes, I am." Raven seemed confident.

As if completely frozen, the trio stood still in the snow while exchanged glances, wondering how a white-haired boy could change Raven –a girl who once thought that beasts were only blood-thirsty monsters.

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**Heyy :)**

**Remember that episode when Cyborg went crazy because he's infected by viruses and then he said 'Raaaaaven, you like waffles, don't you?' and then Raven replied 'More than life itself.' LOL, it gets me everytime! xD**

**END YOUR REVIEW WITH 'I love waffles'**


	4. The Dream Guy

_She wasn't sure if she was in outer space, or the Earth had lost its gravity. But she was certain that she was surrounded by nothingness –no light, no ground, no sound, no life. She couldn't even see her own hands. She tried to listen if there were any footsteps or voices. She tried to see if there was someone other than her. She needed to know that she was not alone. She couldn't bear knowing that she was alone. Again._

_"Rae," someone whispered, calling her. It was him. She didn't know who he was, but he came around often and she was surprised that he knew her name. He even used a nickname to acknowledge her, as if they were best friends or... something more._

_She turned around to find that she could feel his breath blown into her face. She could sense that there was barely a gap between them. Raven knew that she was strict about her personal space, yet she didn't want to move. Because when she was near him, she found comfort and there was warmth radiated just for her. She wasn't sure why, but something about this felt right._

_"He's still here," he said. There were traces of anger in his tone. Raven understood to whom he was referring to. _

_Malcolm._

_"Why is everyone against him?!" Raven raised her voice, frustrated._

_"He's a traitor. Just get rid of him." Raven looked up, guessing that the boy in front of her was taller than her._

_There she saw them –his emerald eyes. They were mesmerizing and Raven was never not lost when she stared through them, searching for his enigmatic identities. Raven wondered how his eyes were the only ones visible in the state of nothingness._

Raven's eyes shot open. She sat up, remembering where she was. The room was dark, but the darkness was nothing compared to the dream she had. Police station. She was in a police station.

'_Three nights in a row.'_

"Three nights in a row," Vic said, as if he just read her mind. Raven was a bit startled. "Nightmare?"

Raven shook her head. "Not really, it's the same weird dream."

"About the guy?" Vic asked again. Raven nodded. She had told him about the dream when they both woke up in the middle of the night two days ago.

"How about you? Was it about Jinx again?"

"Yeah. Ever since we bring along that beast with us, I can't seem to get over her eating my family," Vic cupped his face in his hands.

Raven felt guilty and infuriated at the same time. She wanted to shout at him but she didn't want to wake up the others. "Look, I'm sorry about your family, but Malcolm is not like that. So don't call him 'that beast'. If you hate him so much, then leave me with him. I'll take him to S.T.A.R Labs. Alone."

Vic stared at her with intensity, figuring out if she was really that serious. He knew she must liked Malcolm so much that she willingly sacrificed herself to do something like that. For Vic, it was something stupid. _Really_ stupid. One side of him felt like he was done with her, and that the gang should leave her with Malcolm. But then, the other side convinced him that the gang was sworn to protect each other. That side won.

Vic let out a sigh, as if he had lost in a staring contest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call him that."

Raven didn't say another word. She just stared at the floor, letting silence filled the air. For a moment, they just waited for the sunrise to come.

"What did the guy say this time? Another knock-knock joke?" Vic chuckled, breaking the silence. He recalled the first time Raven told him about her dream.

_She panicked. She wanted to know where she was, and she needed to know that she wasn't alone. She spun around, searching for someone, or a way out, or at least some light._

_"Hello?" she called out. There wasn't even an echo._

_"Knock knock." There was a voice behind her. She turned around, only to find herself facing the darkness._

_"Who... Who's there?" she answered, but her tone was more scared than trying to play along._

_"Beast," he answered. Raven took several steps backwards, her heart pounding faster. And with every step she took, she had a feeling that he moved closer to her. "Come on, say 'Beast who?'"_

_Raven continued walking backwards, trying to get away from this mysterious guy. "No! Get away from me!"_

_"Come on, Raven! Just this time, please?" he begged like a kid pleading his mother to buy him a toy._

_Raven sighed, tired of his pointless game. "Beast who?"_

_"Beast strong when I tell you this, but you should get rid of Malcolm," his tone changed. He was serious. Raven frowned._

_"You've just insulted knock-knock jokes," Raven said._

"Trust me, no jokes this time. He was sort of angry because Malcolm's still with us. And as always, he told me to get rid of him," Raven explained. She glanced towards the lock-up nearby where Malcolm was in. They had to put him in there so that he couldn't attack the gang if he ever lose control of himself. Raven watched him breathe as he slept soundly and peacefully.

"The other night when you described him... He didn't seem like he's just a figment of your imagination. I mean, imagination is supposed to be like a part of you, right? Well, he's like the complete opposite. I don't know how, but I think he might be real."

"Or I might have gone crazy."

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._.

._.

Next stop –a clinic.

This did not go as how they had planned it. Of course, Malcolm was the reason behind this. They thought the handcuffs would prevent him from attacking them. Clearly, they were wrong. They forgot that he was ten times stronger than them when he was in his beast form. The handcuffs surely broke into tiny pieces. But most of the time, Raven forgot how dangerous this boy could be.

_'Just get rid of him.'_

Raven shook her head, trying to get the voice out of her mind. She watched as Kori bandaged up her left foot. Sporadically, Raven would let out a wince of pain.

"Please, friend Raven. I do not wish to see you hurt again. Your wounds are countless. Are you sure it is safe to bring Malcolm along with us?"

Raven just nodded, tired of answering the same question everyday. She glanced at the window. Rich and Vic stood outside the clinic, making sure that Malcolm would not crash into the building if he lost control. The white-haired boy just stared at her with guilt. Raven gave him a small smile, as if telling him that she's okay and he didn't need to apologize.

"I do not understand why Malcolm always attacks you. Just you, Raven." Kori sounded concern. She often heard from Malcolm that he didn't want to hurt Raven, but he always did. What was he up to?

"Maybe my scent is stronger than you guys. I don't know," Raven said.

"We need to be careful. I do not want you to be like Vic. It was most heartbreaking."

When Kori was done wrapping and Raven was strong enough to walk, they walked out of the building to meet the other three boys. Raven tossed two pints of donated blood at Malcolm. He tore open the bag and drank it ravenously.

"He just mauled you and he gets a treat for it," Rich commented. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Give him a break. He hasn't eaten for like three days."

"Well, that's just blood. It's like some kind of beverage for beasts. He'll be hungry in less than a sec," Vic said.

"Then we need to move faster."

Raven grabbed her backpack and hobbled in the deep snow. The others watched as Raven lead their way. The trio followed, grabbing along Malcolm with them. Their journey now was nothing but a path of exasperation. Rich's mission to Gotham was changed. Vic's definition for 'an action' was trying to hold back Malcolm from eating his 'friend'. Kori's new job was to clean Raven's wound.

As Raven tolerated the pain from dragging her foot, she had second thoughts. What if her friends were right? What if Malcolm was just faking everything? Was he waiting for her to be completely helpless so that he could eat her and her friends?

_'He's a traitor.'_

Was the guy in her dreams telling the truth?

At times, Raven hated herself for being self-centred. Raven looked back. She didn't need her magic to see the expressions of her friends. There were anger and frustration. Raven sighed. They had accepted her in the gang, but she pushed them away because of... only one boy?

_'Just get rid of him.'_

._.

* * *

**BB, be mine because I suck at making jokes :p**

**Anywayy, you can guess who's the dream guy. Anyone can guess how he was in Raven's dream? One correct guess and I'll reply to your review, giving you a hint on what's next.**

**Sorry for the stupid knock-knock joke. I made that up. And my sarcasm is not as fluent as Raven's.**


	5. Tricks of Mind

_**Bluedog197: DUDE FREAKING AWESOME CHAPTER and i have an answer that maybe right but i'm not sure i know for a fact that it's Garfield in her dream and how he got in to raven's dream is that "he has been following her and since he can smell the other beast he is telling her telepathically that he is warning her when she fall's asleep at night" how i came up with this was simple in chapter two he said "end of aroma therapy i guess" so that would mean he has been following them MAYBE its a long shot i know but i will still read this story no matter what because i just caught up and it is a FLIPPING AWESOME SPECTACULAR STORY so good luck and peace**_

**SPOILER ALERT! Lol okay, I couldn't reply to this review. So basically EVERYONE's gonna get the hint :) Hey, you better give this guy Starfire's signature hug. Come on, group hug! :D**

**Ready for the hint?**

**TRIGON.**

* * *

Gotham City.

As Rich predicted, it was not a ghost town. At first, the city seemed normal, with people roaming around. However, they had learned that the world itself was a mask with lies hidden underneath it. There was no one they could trust.

Their plan was to sneak into Gotham in order to avoid being noticed by the massive number of beasts populating the city. As usual, Malcolm screwed up by losing control. He had to resumed devouring his usual prey –Raven. He tore most of her bandages, he cut her healing wounds then he pounced on her and just let her bleed. Raven was terrified, as always, but she was more terrified to fight him back.

"Malcolm, don't! Please, it's me!" she cried, trying to remind him that she was his friend. Rich let out a groan, knowing that Malcolm couldn't care less.

Vic blasted Malcolm with his cannon, and Raven would yell at him, telling him not to hurt Malcolm. Vic was tired seeing her protecting_ him_. Hell, the whole team was tired of seeing her losing blood and saying that it's okay, just because of _him_.

They were _really_ tired that they chose to ignore what Raven would constantly tell them. The trio exchanged glances before they simultaneously nodded. This was the real deal.

Rich fired his gun (he loaded it back at the *police station), hitting right in Malcolm's hind leg.

Kori blasted her ray gun towards his stomach.

Vic shot right in his head.

"No!" Raven yelled before gritting her teeth in fury. She let her head fall back in the snow.

Malcolm collapsed on Raven and slowly he returned to his human form. Raven wanted to push him aside, but she couldn't find enough strength to do so. She had lost too much blood. Her skin was no longer pale –it was white. Her head was heavy and light at the same time. She felt like the world around her was spinning non-stop.

"Hurry, they're coming!" Rich yelled. Growls were heard everywhere. All Raven could think of was that her blood had drawn their attention.

"There are so many of them!" Kori freaked out. Gunshots were heard.

"Kori, get behind me!" Raven assumed that Rich was trying to protect his girlfriend.

Raven wanted to help. She didn't like being useless. They already helped her to Gotham and they even accepted her decision to bring along Malcolm, even if they didn't like him. She needed to return their favour. She had to.

Raven let her eyes closed as they were too heavy to be opened. She used every strength she had left to remain conscious. She clenched her fists, trying hard to focus. "Azarath..."

"RICH!" Kori screamed in fright.

"KORI!" Rich panicked. One of the beasts caught her by her foot. It dragged her away, to avoid its meal being seized by the others.

"Metrion..."

Gunshots were heard. Kori let out a yelp. Rich shouted at the beast, desperately telling it to let go of Kori.

"ZINTHOS!"

By then, Raven had passed out. Everything faded into darkness. All she could see was those emerald eyes glowing before her. They too were sucked into the state of nothingness. Gunshots faded. Screams turned into silence. The growling beasts suddenly became like dogs whining. No light, no ground, no sound, no...

Life.

_"Why did the raven cross the road?" The emerald eyes shone with eagerness._

_"And I thought I hated it when I was awake."_

_"C'mon! Say 'why'."_

_"Why," she said monotonously._

_"To get to another life! Get it?"_

_"One, my death is not something to joke about," she said in a deadpan tone. "Two, I don't deserve 'another life' even if I'm not dead."_

_"One, you're not dead," he said, mocking her tone, "Two, you totally deserve a new beginning after what that jerk has done to you!"_

_Raven didn't reply. She was fed up with everyone's comments about Malcolm. She was too tired to stand up for him. For the first time, she felt like falling. And yet, she didn't. She just bowed her head instead._

_"Malcolm's not like that. I _know_ he's not like that," Raven said in an almost whisper. In return, she received a glare daggers from the guy in front of her._

_"You're blind because you believe in him. In whatever he has done to you. Even though you _know_ it's wrong. Well then, I guess I'll just wait for you to see the truths he's been hiding. Maybe it's better if you remain oblivious," he said. His tone was a mixture of disappointment and fury. Raven felt guilty all of a sudden._

_She looked up, curious. "Wait, what is he hiding?"_

_And just like that, the mysterious guy was gone. For Raven, it was sort of peculiar to feel empty in his absence. He's supposed to be just an imagination, right? Dreams are... tricks of mind, are they not?_

._.

._.

._.

"Do you think she is going to be... okay?" Kori was worried seeing Raven lay still on the bed. She remained stationary for two days.

"I'm sure she is. We already tried saving her, didn't we?" Rich said. He gave a small smile and rubbed Kori's back, comforting her.

They were at Gotham General Hospital, waiting for Raven to regain consciousness. They were in the nick of time when they got there. Those moments were horrifying, having to see their friend covered in nothing but sticky red fluid. Kori hadn't stopped sobbing, afraid of losing her one and only girlfriend. They had not seen deaths for quite a long time, and so seeing Raven in this current state was like watching her walking away with a grim reaper.

But luck was on their side. Surprisingly, Gotham seemed to be the only city with electricity. They didn't know how this was possible, but they were thankful nonetheless. The lights helped to guide them around the hospital and keep them warm at the same time. And they had Vic, a genius who practically knew everything. He ran around from one room to another, finding the equipments needed to stitch the cuts on Raven's body.

Due to the excessive bleeding, Raven suffered from anaemia and low blood pressure. Vic was determined to find out her blood type and search around the hospital if there were any blood supply. But then, he was certain that expired blood would do no good. So at the end of the day, they were grateful to have their friend still breathing._  
_

"I'm going to see Vic," Rich stood up from his chair. He was about to take his step when Kori grabbed his wrist.

"Just... be safe," Kori voiced her concern.

"I will," Rich said, leaning in to give a peck on her cheek. He placed his Glock 17 in her hands before walking away.

Kori sighed. She didn't like to use a gun to protect herself. She hated killing. True, she had never killed a beast. Her ray gun only caused third-degree burns. Rich, on the other hand, didn't want the beasts to suffer. He preferred it to be quick and less painful.

._.

._.

._.

"Hey." Rich entered the operating room. Vic didn't respond. The room was empty as all the equipments had been cleared out by Vic.

Vic sat on one corner of the room, facing Malcolm who sat in the opposite corner. Vic watched him intently. Rich could see his chest rising up and down, obviously out of breath. Malcolm was unconscious and he had burns all over his body. He was now tied up. Rich felt sorry for him. He didn't want Malcolm to be tortured just so Raven could be safe. But he didn't want to lose Raven so that Malcolm could be normal again.

"We're out of ropes," Vic finally said after taking his breath.

"How many times did he..." Rich tried to ask. Vic didn't let him finish.

"Countless." Rich just nodded.

"But you can manage him all by yourself," Rich smirked, "I think you have nothing to worry about."

"Heh, but really, it's nothing compared to what Raven did two days ago! She totally kicked their asses even though she could barely move."

"Clearly she used up everything she had. She's still unconscious." Rich recalled the incident. After Raven shouted the last word of her spell, it was like the world had stopped spinning. All the beasts, except Malcolm, that were attacking the gang rose from the ground. The trio stiffened, their bottom jaws dropped. The ground shook out of the blue and they thought the city was experiencing a mini earthquake. They kept their heads up, waiting to see what would happen to the beasts. Next thing they knew, blood splashed across their faces. It was as if Raven had planted a bomb in each of their stomachs. She blew up the beasts.

Rich stopped replaying the flashback in his head when he heard Malcolm moaning. He started to wake up.

"Good mornin'," Vic said, sounding quite annoyed.

"I don't consider _this_ to be good though," Malcolm said, referring to the ropes. "But I do believe things can get better."

Malcolm had an evil smirk on his face and both Rich and Vic didn't like what was coming. Vic replied, "Oh yeah?"

All of a sudden, a really high-pitched scream was heard from outside the room. The three of them recognized the voice, but only one was not surprised by it. Rich and Vic's attention turned from the door back to Malcolm. He was still smirking, and he was raising his brow.

"Yup, they get _better_."

* * *

***in chapter 4**

**Yeah, I made up that joke. Curse my lack of creativity.**

**Ooohh, what's happening to Kori?**

**FOLLOW & REVIEW :)**


	6. Questions & Guesses

**One question, do I make Raven like she's out of character?**

* * *

_"You've been here... for a while." He was back, after what seemed like an eternity. Raven realized that she had missed him terribly. And she didn't know why out of all people, she missed him the most._

_"And you've been somewhere else... for a while," she replied using the same tone. She stared at those distant eyes, feeling like she was becoming addicted to it. She noticed that she was moving closer to them, as if they had enough force to pull her towards them like a horizontal gravity. Raven could not stop herself and she didn't want to. All she wanted to do was to look what's beneath them. If she could just find the secrets lying within. Secrets she failed to discover._

_"You should leave this place and wake up," he said. Raven scoffed at his statement._

_"You think I wouldn't want that? I'm tired sitting here in the dark." Raven found it hard to go back to reality. It was like she had forgotten how to open her eyes. Because of this, she was convinced that she was dead. And she didn't understand why this mysterious guy said otherwise._

_"Someday you will get outta here. Only time would tell," he said, "And when the time arrives, be ready."_

_"For what?" Raven looked up._

_"You know what."_

_Raven grew aggravated. He always gave her puzzles and riddles for her to sort out herself. Why couldn't he tell her what he knew? It was supposed to be simple. He let a long thread crumpled up and then left it for her to straighten it back. What was he hiding?_

._.

._.

._.

"Okay beast, what do you want from us?" Vic asked, indirectly threatening him to answer his question if he didn't want his head to be blasted with his cannon. Malcolm exhaled a breath of laughter.

The scream that was coming from Raven's ward abruptly ended. Rich wanted to see what's going on. Most of all, he wanted to make sure Kori was alright. He wanted it so badly. And yet, something was keeping him inside the operating room. The door seemed to be locked, and when Rich tried to kick it open he failed horribly. It was odd for a wooden door to be this solid, like concrete.

"Wrong question, pal." Rich heard him say. Rich turned around, facing him.

"New question for you –did you do all this?" he asked, referring to the door and Kori's screaming. He wasn't surprised that the gang would be betrayed by a beast, but he was enraged that he let it happen. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, trying to control his anger.

Malcolm laughed harder this time. He told Rich to take a good look at him, considering he was kept still and all tied up.

"I have a feeling _you're_ behind all this," Vic said. Without turning into his beast form, Malcolm broke free. Vic was shocked to see Malcolm had such strength and he reminded himself not to give this guy second chances. Not anymore.

"Your guess is correct, but not entirely. Any other stupid questions? Or... do you want to keep guessing?"

"Let's just fight," Vic said while he powered up his cannon.

Malcolm's smirk faded as his physical appearance was changing.

Vic fired the first shot.

Malcolm fell backwards.

He was hit right in the head.

For a moment, Vic felt that he had a right to be paranoid. He blasted again and again, until he was convinced the shots were enough to at least weaken the beast.

"Raven's not gonna like this," Rich said.

"It's for the best. Give him your final blow," Vic told Rich.

"My gun's.. with Kori," he said. Vic turned to look at him, eye widened. All this while, he never not carry a gun with him and he decided to choose these times to leave it with Kori. '_We're dead._'

Their eyes returned to the beast, staring at the burns Vic had caused. Lots of fur were shed, massive were burnt to ashes. The skin underneath were bright red. No, it wasn't the skin. It was flesh. The beast didn't look like itself anymore. It was like some other horrifying animal, close to the paranormal creatures you could find on the internet.

They just stood still, searching for any movement by the beast.

Wondering if it was still breathing.

Maybe it's dead. Finally...

However, they both still had a bad feeling. Shooting and hurting this beast had somehow become a daily requirement. It was no longer strange to see the wounds they had caused. And it was extraordinary to observe how quick his injuries could heal. Thus seeing him lying on his back with his eyes closed was undoubtedly ominous. Even though these injuries seemed to be a lot more severe.

Lessons of the day: Always trust those weird feelings.

There was a thump heard from the door. Then the wall next to it.

Something crashed outside the room. Then there was that thump again, now on the ceiling.

Vic and Rich looked around them, both were alert but neither prepared for what was coming. Apparently, no one was allowed to get out or get in to the room. Rich guessed it must had been magic, like the dust Raven used to protect the gang when sleeping at night. New questions arose.

Was Raven behind all this?

Was it even possible?

If it was, how?

And why?

Silence grew throughout the room. Malcolm remained unconscious, though his wounds healed at an abnormally quick rate. His flesh became skin, his fur grew fast like rain falling to the ground. There was no reason to be sceptical about –Malcolm was going to wake up in less than a minute.

"Shoot him!" Rich ordered.

"I can't, it's out of power!" Vic yelled back.

"But it's supposed to be solar-powered!"

"Doesn't mean artificial light is enough!"

The thump was back, ending their argument. The sound repeated more frequent this time and it was directly above them, so they stepped aside. The ceiling shook violently, and they were certain it was going to collapse.

Back to Problem 1.

Malcolm regained consciousness. His eyes shot open, remembering his mission before he passed out. In a swift movement he got up and pounced on Vic, who was distracted by the thumps on the ceiling. Rich began to register what had happened and without wasting any time, he side-kicked the beast right in the face. Malcolm was thrown aside by the force given, but that did not really affected him. In less than a second, he was back in his normal posture and ready to attack again.

Vic stood up beside Rich, trying to focus and at the same time ignoring the upcoming danger from above them.

Malcolm charged towards the teenagers when the ceiling collapsed on him. Vic and Rich retreated, but the walls prevented them from going any further. Apparently, the ceiling wasn't the only thing that fell.

Another beast, larger than Malcolm, rolled over to its side before it stood up on its feet. It shook its head, throwing away all the dusts and debris that were stuck in its fur. Vic and Rich didn't blink even once. They had seen numerous beasts with different colours, but never like this. This was...

Green.

The green beast growled, but surprisingly not at them. Somehow, something about Malcolm made the beast seemed outraged. The green beast initiated the fight. It bit Malcolm at the neck, blocking oxygen from flowing in the blood vessels towards the brain. Malcolm attempted to stop it by scratching its head and face with his sharp claws, though the green beast didn't seem to be affected by those.

Vic nudged Rich, then pointed an escape through the perforated ceiling.

"But only one of us can get out," Rich said, referring to the height of the ceiling. It appeared that only Rich had the opportunity to escape as Vic was tall enough to lift him and help him climb up. Nevertheless, Rich did not want to take that chance by leaving his friend alone with the danger.

Meanwhile, the green beast took the advantage of its size fully. Malcolm's eyes rolled up, his mouth was opened to suck in air but failed, his forelimbs swung randomly to get rid of the beast on top of him. His movements were getting slower. And later, he stopped moving.

The green beast loosened its grip on Malcolm's neck before he looked up to see the two teenagers. They watched it closed its mouth that was smudged with blood. The ferocious expression left its face, thus leaving Vic and Rich to think that maybe this beast was on their side. On second thought, maybe this was another betrayal. Could it be...?

"What a useless little beast," said a voice.

Silently, Vic and Rich groaned. What now?

They looked up the ceiling to find another stranger. He looked down with a smirk, perhaps watching them all along. Physically, they assumed him to be athletic. He sure looked strong and such, but nothing was more bizarre than his bright red eyes. And just like Malcolm, he had white hair.

"Malcolm's death, green beast, red eyes? Man, what day is today?!" Clearly Vic was also tired with an immense of peculiarity they experienced that day.

"Today is the day I win," the man said. His voice was calm yet frightening.

Growls were heard and this time it was for them. They should have expected that no beast was on their side. The green beast began to charge. Oddly, Vic and Rich felt as if they had been frozen. Their muscles stiffened. They were certain that they were not petrified. They were being controlled.

They had fear in their eyes, and they saw greater fear in those emerald eyes.

._.

._.

._.

_Raven was waiting for a miracle. She didn't like to remain in this state of nothingness. She wanted to wake up._

_She longed to see life, to see the faces of her friends._

_"Raven, wake up!" She heard a voice screaming from a distance. She recognized it, so she ran._

_"Help!" Raven ran towards it, as fast as she can. The voice was getting louder so she was convinced she was getting near. She wanted to know what happened, and why he needed her help. Was he in danger? But he's not supposed to exist..._

_She was really near._

_She could hear _him.

_She could see the light._

_It was getting brighter._

_"Be safe..." The voice was a now a whisper and Raven didn't like it._

_She stopped._

And she was back in reality.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update! I was busy with school and all.**

**FOLLOW & REVIEW.**


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